


Three Lawyers and a Little Lady

by Shadowcrawler



Series: Three Lawyers and a Baby [2]
Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Family Fluff, Gen, Non-Linear Narrative
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-02-24 11:51:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13213155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowcrawler/pseuds/Shadowcrawler
Summary: Just silly little ficlets about Elise Matthew Nelson-Page growing up.





	1. surprise (age 3)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [oneworldaway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oneworldaway/gifts).



> So basically, I keep texting Julia cute headcanons about how Matt, Foggy and Karen deal with being parents and I liked enough of them that I decided I'll just have this as an ongoing fic. It'll get updated whenever I feel like writing short cute things. Matt/Foggy/Karen will be sort of background, but they're all in a relationship. Diverges somewhere after the s1 finale, and sort of runs parallel to s2 - Frank and Elektra will be showing up eventually.
> 
> I didn't specify in the first fic, but Elise is Latina and they try to speak Spanish with her so she's bilingual. I'll put ages in the chapter titles so you know how old she's supposed to be in them.

It’s not _that_ late. It’s only a little after 2 - he could’ve stayed out later. Still, it’s a pretty quiet night, maybe because it’s too hot to _think_ , much less consider crime. He’s definitely looking forward to peeling off the suit and falling straight into bed. (Karen and Foggy will bitch about his sweat getting everywhere, but if he tries to shower he might wake Elise. They can’t possibly argue with that.)

He gets home without any trouble to find the living room window unlocked, just like he left it. Karen’s a stickler for keeping the windows closed, but she looks the other way when it comes to his “nighttime activities.” Or maybe she’s too tired to fight about it right now - she’s been running all over the city doing research for a big story for the last week or so. Either way.

He listens for a second. One, two, three heartbeats. Karen and Foggy’s are slow with sleep, Elise’s sounds like she’s maybe having a dream, but not a bad one. It’s a little faster than her usual sleeping heartbeat, but he can’t hear her moving around in there. He pauses for a second and then slides the window open and climbs inside.

He’s just turning around to latch the window behind him when he’s suddenly assaulted by an ear-splitting shriek and something slams into his legs. He grunts, more out of surprise than pain, and that’s when he’s able to recognize the voice even though his ears are ringing: it’s Elise, screaming her little lungs out as she pounds her tiny fists into his knee. He can hardly make her words out, but he catches a couple words of English and Spanish and “ _GO AWAY!”_ once, very distinctly.

He backs away, trying to get out of range, and almost says, “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s me, it’s Papa,” but then he realizes that will just confuse her further, so instead he quickly escapes out onto the fire escape. She’s still too little to be able to lift the window and climb out of it, thank God.

He crouches down, listening to Karen and Foggy’s footsteps as they go to take care of Elise. “What’s wrong, bunny?” Foggy murmurs, and Matt hears the swish of his pajama pants as he kneels to pick their daughter up. “What happened?”

Karen, meanwhile, is coming over to inspect the window, which Matt shut, mostly. As Elise babbles about a “bad man” who came in through the window to steal their stuff, Matt hears Karen hiss, “ _Dammit_ , Matt,” before going over to comfort the little girl. Although, honestly, it doesn’t sound like Elise is in need of comfort. She sounds _angry,_ a pure, uncomplicated kind of anger that only children are capable of. “I fight him!” she keeps repeating. “He run away!”

“You sure did, baby,” Karen says, and kisses her forehead. “He won’t come back. Now we can all go back to bed, c’mon.”

Elise protests at that - Matt’s terrible at deciphering toddler-speak, but he’s getting better. He manages to work out that she wants to watch the window in case the “bad man” comes back. “No,” Karen says sternly. “Little girls need sleep. Or you’ll be all cranky at daycare tomorrow and you don’t want that, right?” Elise whines something else, but soon quiets down after that, and Foggy starts down the hall toward her room, murmuring one of the Spanish lullabies he’s been soothing her with since she was weeks old.

There’s a tense silence in the air for a long moment. Then Karen says, low, because she knows he can hear it, “Don’t come back in till she’s asleep, okay? Tap once on the window so I know you won’t.”

He does, even though he _really_ wants to get this suit off.

After what feels like hours, Foggy comes back into the living room, sighing dramatically. “Okay, Matt,” he calls softly, “as you already knew, she’s finally out. C’mon.”

Slowly, Matt opens the window and climbs in. Foggy and Karen are both in front of him, their heartbeats having mostly calmed down from the commotion. Karen’s is still a bit fast. She’s annoyed. “I’m sorry,” he says, “I thought she was asleep.”

“So did we,” sighs Karen. He hears her hair swish a bit as she shakes her head. “Swear to God she’s your bio-daughter, Matt. Up half the night and can’t ever mind her own goddamn business.”

“Language,” Foggy scolds. Karen scoffs.

“Anyway,” Matt says, “I’ll try to avoid this in the future.”

“You better,” says Foggy. “It was one thing when she was an actual baby, but pretty soon we’re not gonna be able to distract her with stuffed animals and lullabies.”

“I know,” Matt says. “I’ll be more careful.”

Karen sounds like she doesn’t quite believe him, but she just says, “Go shower, Matt.”

“But she’s-”

“I’ll help,” Foggy says. “That way it’ll be quick.”

Matt chuckles. “It’s not exactly the time for a quickie, Foggy.”

Foggy snorts. “You wish. I’m just not sleeping in a bed soaked in your murder-sweat.”

He feels Karen’s lips against his cheek, then hears the faint sound of her kissing Foggy’s cheek as well, and she whispers, “Don’t be too long,” as she heads down the hall.

Later, as they’re all piled together in bed like usual, Matt listens to the sounds of his family, totally at peace. The last thought he has before he surrenders to sleep, one he’ll never admit to Foggy and Karen because they’d hate it, is one of pride: _She fought me. She didn’t run away or back down, she saw a threat and went right for it._


	2. surprise (age 16)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of these won't be connected really, but this is a sequel of sorts to the first chapter.

It’s a little early for him to be heading out - just after eleven - but Foggy’s already snoring, Karen’s reading in bed, and Elise has been in her room doing homework for over two hours. (How on earth the three of them managed to raise the kind of teenager who stays in and does her _homework_ on a Friday night, he has no idea.)

He’s careful, though. He double-checks Foggy’s breathing to make sure he’s really asleep, listens for the faint sound of Karen licking her finger to turn a page, and doesn’t even have to strain to hear the sound of Elise’s music blaring through her headphones. (Foggy’s always lecturing her about how loud she has it playing, but they can’t exactly explain how much the volume affects Matt, so they haven’t had much luck convincing her to keep it down.) Coast clear, then. He pads off down the hall toward the coat closet they barely use.

It’s a pleasantly cool night, just the kind he likes. The weather hasn’t quite turned to winter yet and he won’t freeze or overheat in his suit. He jogs along the rooftop, listening to his surroundings carefully.

Which means he hears the footsteps behind him almost immediately.

He whirls around to kick at whoever it is and growls in his best Devil voice, “Who are you?”

“Papa, it’s me!”

Matt freezes. _Shit._

“Papa, I know!” whispers Elise, clearly trying to keep quiet but her voice might as well have been a gunshot in this silence. “I know that’s you under the mask. I know you’re the Devil. I’ve known for a long time.”

Matt’s brain doesn’t seem to be working, and all he can do is grunt, “What do you mean?”

“I’m not stupid, Papa. And I remember that night when I caught you coming home wearing the Devil costume. It’s one of my oldest memories - I remember feeling so _angry_ because a stranger was in my home, and I wanted him to leave. Mama and Dad told me it was just a nightmare, but I remembered it too well, and then when I got older and heard people talking about the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen I did some research. _And_ ,” she adds, and he can hear the smirk in her voice, “you’re not as quiet as you think you are.”

He sighs. “Go back inside, Elise. You shouldn’t be here.”

“Do Dad and Mama know about this? Who you are, what you do?”

“I need to go.” There’s a woman walking home alone a few blocks away. Nobody’s bothered her yet, but her heart is racing like she’s just run a marathon. She might be on something, or just very anxious. Either way… “Go back, Elise.”

“No,” she says, and it’s a tone he hasn’t heard from her in a long time. “I’m coming with you.”

“Like hell you are,” he growls. “It’s dangerous!”

“You’ve been training me in martial arts and self-defense since I could walk, Papa! And Uncle Frank and Aunt Elektra have too! Why would you all train me like this if not to help you fight?”

Matt sighs and rubs his temple. “I don’t have to explain myself to you, I’m your father.”

“I know that. But...I’m scared for you.” He hears the tremble in her voice, like she’s trying not to sound emotional. “It’s scary knowing you might not come home. I want to help you, Papa, I want to make sure you always come home.”

He shakes his head. “You’re so stubborn. You get that from Karen.”

“No, from you. I know your leg never healed right after you got shot in the kneecap. How many more close calls do you have left? Please, show me how to do this. I want to help you, and I want to help the people who need us.”

He groans. There’s no way he’s getting off this roof without Elise, one way or another. “Fine,” he barks. “Fine, we’ll both go back inside and talk about this with Mama and Dad. But you’re not coming out with me tonight.”

There’s a faint noise of fabric swishing together, like she’s crossed her arms. “Fine.”

Karen’s still awake when they get back to the apartment, and she looks startled when Matt opens the door still wearing his suit. “We need to talk,” he says. “Our little darling figured it out.”

 

* * *

 

“- _absolutely_ cannot believe you were stupid enough to let this happen, Matt!”

Matt sighs. “It’s not like I did it on purpose. She figured it out herself.”

Karen groans, and he hears her run her fingers through her hair. She turns to Foggy, who’s still sort of bleary-eyed. “Back me up here, Fog,” she says, clearly exasperated. “He’ll listen to _you._ ”

“When has he ever listened to me?” grumbles Foggy, but he gives Matt a beleaguered look. “C’mon, Matt, seriously?”

“I’ve been as careful as I could be,” Matt argues. “She says she remembers that night when she was three and she caught me coming in. How were we supposed to know she’d remember that?”

“I thought you were supposed to have ridiculous senses,” says Karen. “How the hell does a _child_ sneak up on you? _Twice?_ ”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to tell you, Kar.”

“Well, she’s not going out with you,” Foggy says. “That’s not a question. Right?” He glances between Matt and Karen. “That’s not even up for discussion.”

“She’d damn well better not,” says Karen.

“It’s not that easy,” argues Matt. “Like she said, we’ve been - _I’ve_ been - training her since she could walk. She knows how I fight. Elektra taught her how to use sais, for God’s sake! And you know how stubborn she is. If we tell her not to follow me she’ll do it anyway, and she might attract more attention while following me than I can afford.”

Foggy makes a noise like Matt’s stabbed him. “Jesus, you’re not actually considering letting our daughter go play vigilante with you!”

“This is insane,” Karen says. “It’s, it’s bad enough I have to worry about _you_ out there every night, Matt, but her?” Her voice cracks, like she might cry. “I can’t...I just can’t.”

Matt reaches for her, but she says, voice shaking, “No, not right now.”

“Go talk to Elise, Matt,” Foggy says. “You have to tell her to cut this shit out.”

Matt pauses, listening to their ragged breathing. It’s killing him, that this is hurting them so much, but… “Okay,” he says. “I’ll talk to her.”

 

* * *

 

“They’re pretty pissed at me,” he says, sitting down at the chair at Elise’s desk. She’s on her bed - has probably been waiting there, listening, since they got home.

“I know,” she says. “I’ve never heard Mama yell like that.”

“They’re worried,” Matt says. “I’m worried too. You know how dangerous it is out there. You must, if you’ve been doing all that research you mentioned. Criminal gangs, muggings, assaults, drug trafficking...it’s hell out there, kiddo. I’m not exaggerating.”

“Papa, I _know_ ,” Elise says. He can tell from the tone that she’s rolling her eyes. “I’ve lived in this city for sixteen years. And I’m a brown teenage girl! You and Mama and Dad have done your best to keep me safe, but I know what kind of city I live in. I’m not stupid. And I meant what I said earlier. I want to help you, and I want to help other people too.”

“You know we could look into volunteer work for you,” Matt says, more than a little snarky. “That would be a better outlet for your humanitarian tendencies.”

Elise sighs. “ _Papa._ No. I mean, maybe, but I don’t want to talk about that right now. I made myself a suit, see?” She puts something, a piece of fabric, onto his hands. “It’s not as nice as yours, it won’t stop bullets, but it’s the best I could do in home ec class.”

Matt feels the material. It’s fairly lightweight, but strong. She’s right, it won’t do shit for bullets, but it’s a start. “You made this in home ec?”

“Mrs. Hendrickson thought I was making a Halloween costume.” She’s frustratingly casual about this. “It was my final project.”

“You’ll need something bulletproof,” he says, before he can stop himself.

He hears the little gasp and knows he’s made a terrible mistake. “You want me to come with you!” she says, delighted. “You wouldn’t have said that if you didn’t!”

“That’s not what I meant,” he says quickly, but he’s taken aback when she jumps off her bed and comes over to throw her arms around him. “You’re getting too big to do that,” he says with a startled cough.

“I am not,” she argues, nestling into him.

“I didn’t say you _could_ come.”

“But you want me to!”

“Let’s go back out and talk to them some more.”

\---

Forty minutes later, despite a string of loud protests from Foggy and Karen beforehand, they begrudgingly agree Elise can join Matt for a couple of hours. “But you’re only allowed to jump in on little things!” Karen insists. “Muggings. Car thieves. Nothing high-stakes.”

“Also, bring her back before two AM,” says Foggy sternly. “She needs to sleep at a reasonable hour.”

“Dad, I’d be up that late on the internet anyway.”

“Don’t talk back to your father,” scolds Karen. “You’re on thin ice enough as it is, young lady.” Then she mutters, “Oh my god, I’ve turned into my mother. Fuck.”

“Language,” Matt says playfully. He’s not positive Karen flips him off for that, but judging by Elise’s poorly-stifled giggle, it’s a pretty good bet.

“Seriously,” Foggy says, and he doesn’t sound like he’s amused at all. “Elise, I’m not joking, we’re scared shitless. I’m speaking for Karen here but I’m pretty sure we’re on the exact same page. We need you to be so careful and not take any risks at all. We love you so much and if we lost you…” He gets a little choked up and has to take a second before continuing, “I don’t know what I’d do, honey.”

“Dad.” Elise walks over to hug Foggy and then Karen. “Mama. I’ll be careful, I promise. Papa and I will take care of each other, and we’ll come home safe. In...less than two hours. Unless part of your evil plan is to keep arguing with us until the curfew’s up?”

“You’re too smart,” Karen says, kissing Elise’s forehead. “I love you. Even if you’re making me go grey at forty six.”

Elise laughs. “Mama, you’re not going grey.”

“You wouldn’t be able to tell anyway, hon, your hair looks good,” chimes in Foggy.

“Hush.” Karen sounds like she might cry. “Now you two get out of here, before I change my mind,” she says to Matt.

 

* * *

 

It’s not that he’s _happy_ about this, exactly. That would be crazy. The last place he wants his daughter is patrolling the streets of Hell’s Kitchen at all hours of the night.

But...he can’t deny that she’s got good techniques. Especially when she takes on a mugger who’s probably twice her size, using moves _he_ taught her. She’s clever and fast and she fights dirty, judging by all the swearing and grunting from the mugger. (Either Frank or Elektra must have taught her how to do that. He hopes it was one of them.)

And on their way home, when she’s buzzed from the night in the exact way he is (when he’s not grievously harmed anyway), he can’t help but feel... _proud._

  
Karen and Foggy give him an earful when they see the black eye the mugger apparently gave Elise, but she doesn’t seem bothered by it. She gives him one last hug before she heads to bed. He’s always proud of her, but this feels different somehow. Bigger. (He _really_ can’t admit that to Karen and Foggy. He’s already been banished to the couch for the night.)


End file.
